2. RELEVANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH 2.1 BACKGROUND AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES TO DDT/DDE/DDD IN THE UNITED STATES DDT is an organochlorine insecticide that has found a broad range of agricultural and nonagricultural applications in the United States and worldwide beginning

DDT is an organochlorine insecticide that has found a broad range of agricultural and nonagricultural applications in the United States and worldwide beginning in 1939. In 1972, DDT use was banned in the United States and in many parts of the world, except for use in controlling emergency public health problems. DDT is still used in certain parts of the world to control vector-borne diseases, such as malaria. The release of DDT into the environment occurs primarily through spraying applications onto agricultural crops, forest lands, other nonagricultural land, and homes (for the control of disease-bearing vectors). Exposures in the home occurred through the use of DDT as a mothproofing agent, to control lice and, in some parts of the world, to control mosquitoes and other disease-bearing vectors. Both DDD and DDE are degradation products of DDT. DDD was also manufactured and used as an insecticide, but to a much lesser extent than DDT. DDE has no commercial use, but is commonly detected along with DDT at concentrations in the environment that often exceed those measured for DDT.